Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) has opened its annual nature photography competition for 2024 with exciting new categories and prizes.
Nature lovers of all ages are invited to send their best shots of animals, plants, people and scenery at BBOWT nature reserves and the community. This year, the vote is also being thrown open to the public, with a new ‘People’s Choice Award’. There’s also an extra category for mobile phone photography.
This year’s top prizes include a high-spec birdbox camera and an exclusive wildlife photography masterclass with GG Wildlife Experiences, and all winners will have the chance to see their photos featured in the Trust’s 2025 wildlife calendar. There are also bundles of nature books for younger entrants to win for their schools.
The annual competition attracts entries from across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Last year, nearly 150 people submitted almost 500 photographs for judging.
Rachel Levis, BBOWT’s Head of Events, said: “We’re thrilled to launch our photography competition again this year, as it’s always such a treat to see so many amazing photos of wonderful wildlife taken on our patch.
“This year, we have introduced a new People’s Choice Award, which is a great way of getting our supporters involved with the very tricky judging decisions. We hope everyone will vote for their favourite photo – and we can’t wait to see whether our expert judges agree!
“The mobile phone has opened up nature photography to almost everyone, so we’re pleased to include a new category for that this year. Anyone from a six-year-old with a phone to a professional photographer with all the kit can enter – so why not send us your best shot?”
Categories this year include photos of birds, mammals, insects and taking action for nature. There are special classes for children aged 6 to 11, teenagers and pictures of urban nature.
Categories:
- Children (ages 6-11) – Photos matching any of the categories below.
- Teens (ages 12-17) – Photos matching any of the categories below.
- Birds
- Mammals
- Butterflies & other insects
- Our nature reserves
- Urban nature
- Taking action for nature
- Mobile phone photography
The photographs for most categories need to be taken on BBOWT reserves, and all must be taken in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire or Oxfordshire. The closing date for entries is Monday, 26 August, 2024. Entries received by Sunday, 28 July 2024, will also be considered for the People’s Choice Award.
Prizes
This year’s overall winner will be awarded a Technaxx bird feeder camera station, and the people’s choice winner will receive a Nexcam solar-powered wildlife camera. In addition, all category winners will enjoy a workshop with wildlife photographer Steve Gozdz from GG Wildlife Experiences and receive a copy of the 2025 BBOWT wildlife calendar that will feature their winning entry.
The Children and Teen categories have an extra prize: a bundle of nature books which will go to the school libraries of the winners (or to the schools which the winners nominate).
Judges
This year’s competition will be judged by a panel of experts: Steve Gozdz is a professional wildlife photographer and founder of Berkshire-based GG Wildlife Experiences, which offers wildlife walks, experiences and photography classes. Ben Vanheems is the editor of BBOWT’s Wild magazine and a wildlife gardener and YouTuber, while Chris Deeney and Bethan Milner are both BBOWT staff and keen amateur photographers.
Encouraging this year’s entrants, Steve Gozdz said: “Wildlife photography can require patience but can be very rewarding – spending time in nature and capturing “that moment” with a bird, mammal or insect can turn a glimpse in time into a real memory that can be savoured and shared with others. You never know when those “moments” will occur, so take your camera with you wherever you go and be aware of the beauty in nature around you.”
The Trust is extremely grateful to GG Wildlife Experiences for once again sponsoring this year’s competition. Photographers can enter the competition and get full details from the competition website.
